seriousSally Familia tipográfica

Nine exceptional fonts from different foundries

Sometimes it is possible to recognise a typeface at a single glance. This includes those whose overall concept is so unique that it is difficult to forget them. Then there are others with a few quite distinctive features that are enough to make them stand out from the vast crowd of other typefaces. When the task is to create something with a high degree of recognisability, such as a logo or title, typefaces like these are worth their weight in gold. Read on for an introduction to nine quite special and original fonts from the various libraries.
We are sure you will be inspired!

Aubaine/Omashuisje Library

With just very slight variations in line thickness, an extremely large x-height and harmoniously formed letters, this Grotesque typeface is quite exceptional. Characteristic features include the curved legs of the “k” and the bulbous upstrokes and downstrokes of the some of the capitals, such as “A”, “V” and “W”. Eye-catching is also the double circle around the “@” symbol.

Liebelei/Ekke Wolf

Curvilinear extended line terminals are the most obvious defining characteristic of Liebelei by Ekke Wolf. Additional highlights include some extravagantly shaped characters, such as the “A” with its very low positioned horizontal bar, the rounded “E” and a “T” with a tail that points away from the writing direction.

Fox Grotesque/TipografiaRamis

A particularly striking attribute of the monolinear Fox Grotesque by Ramiz Guseynov is the form of the tittles over the “i” and the “j” with their semicircular shape that is repeated in the German umlauts. Those looking for something even more unusual can use the alternative characters, which include letters such as the “a”, “g” and “m” that have lost some of their curves and have gained as a result a rune-like appearance.

Umbria/TipografiaRamis

The double-pronged terminals, marked contrast and synthetic forms impart Ramiz Guseynov’s Umbria a particularly decorative look, which is further enhanced in a second variant that has swash-like loops.

Rumba/Type O Tones

The dynamic and somewhat irregular outlines of the characters of Rumba make these look as if they have been drawn by hand. They are particularly individual and thus are readily memorable. Marked contrasts in line thickness and especially flamboyantly shaped letters provide the extra weight with considerable dynamism. The small weight, on the other hand, is far more restrained. Letters such as the uppercase “E” and “G” seem more like elements of a calligraphic font.

Zubizarreta/Type O Tones

The naively structured characters of Zubizarreta with their hint of ‘chaos’ typography look a little as if they had been cut from coloured paper. There is no differentiation between uppercase and lowercase letters in Zubizarreta, but the variants are used indiscriminately. In addition, there are very unusual letters, such as the “A” without cross bar and the “E” that combines uppercase and lowercase letter elements.

Salamander Script/Fenotype

The playfully agile quill font Salamander Script by Emil Bertell draws attention to itself, and not just by including unusually shaped letters, such as the lowercase “f”. In the form of additional variants, there are numerous decorative and ornamental alternatives.

Mandevilla/Laura Worthington

While the lowercase characters of Laura Worthington’s Mandevilla are muted and reminiscent of script written with a ballpoint pen, the uppercase letters are far more extravagant with their numerous ornaments and decorations. The arching strokes do not, as is customary, extend beyond the letters, but are skilfully and ingeniously integrated in them.